A Treasured Friendship

By+staff+reporter+LI+YUAN

IN June 2014 the President of the Republic of Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso visited China at the invitation of President Xi Jinping. During his stay he met with some teachers and students from the China-Congo Friendship School in Chindu County， Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture， Qinghai Province.

The school was built with financial aid from the Republic of Congo following the earthquake of 2010. During a visit to the central African nation in March 2013， President Xi hailed the gesture as a sign of true friendship between the Republic of Congo and China and cited letters written by the schools students thanking President Sassou Nguesso. One student wrote， “Birds enjoy greater freedom under the open sky， horses grow more sturdy in expanses of grassland， flowers are more splendid when nourished by the sun and rain， and we now have a better life thanks to the aid of the Congolese government and people.”

A New Start

I crossed the Bayan Har Pass， at 4，824 meters above sea level， before reaching Chindu County， 200 kilometers from the prefectural seat of Yushu. The ChinaCongo Friendship School sits at the foot of the Bayan Har ranges. Headmaster Gengga Jamyong， aged 50， who has been working there for 10 years， showed me around. “These were built with the financial help from the Republic of Congo，” he said， pointing to three classroom buildings， a plastic cement running track and a playground.

The school， formerly known as Wenle Primary School， was founded in 2004 with funding from the prefectural government for orphans. It was leveled， like most constructions in the region， in the 2010 earthquake. All nine rows of one-story houses in the compound were ruined， but fortunately， there were no casualties. The teachers and students moved into tents and makeshift classrooms to continue lessons afterwards.

President Sassou Nguesso sent a letter of condolence shortly after the earthquake. When he came to China to attend the opening of the Shanghai World Expo two weeks later， he disclosed his coun- trys plans to donate a primary school to the disaster-stricken area.

Considering the cost of constructing a fully functional boarding school in a high-altitude region and the economic burden on the Republic of Congo， whose population is a mere three million， the Chinese side proposed contributions towards one building or a library. But the president was adamant： “The Republic of Congo will donate a whole primary school. We will do it whatever the cost.”endprint

In February the Congolese government handed over RMB 16 million to Yushu to rebuild the Wenle Primary School. When the facility， which features distinct Tibetan architectural style and complete and advanced teaching equipment， was completed it was renamed China-Congo Friendship School.

The new school occupies an area of 42，625 square meters， four times the size of the original school， and the floor space is nearly seven-fold what it used to be. The larger premises afford more scope for the school： “Because of limited capacity， we used to enroll every two years. Now， we recruit annually and broadly， taking not only local orphans， but also children from single-parent and low-income families from neighboring areas，” the headmaster said. The student body has expanded from 100 to 324.

Real Changes

Teaching conditions have significantly improved at the new school. The number of classrooms has increased from three to 13， and new facilities have been added including a music classroom， a science lab， a library， a computer room and an audio room for English lessons. “Though the curriculum is the same， the quality of teaching has evidently improved thanks to these modern facilities and apparatus，” said Gyian Lhamo， a teacher at the school.

Attracted by the good working conditions， the teaching team has also expanded， from 16 at its peak prior to the earthquake to the current 47.

But its the students who study and live at the school who are the happi- est about the rebuilding. Doje Cering， a fifth grader， still remembers how he felt when he first set foot in the new school.“My friends and I were scampering up and down the stairs， excited to see the spacious classrooms. We played on the rubber-surfaced playground， it didnt hurt even if we stumbled.”

As headmaster of a school for orphans， Gengga Jamyong regards these young charges as his own children. He is relieved and grateful for the convenience and comforts the rebuilding has brought to the student community. In the past the students had to wash clothes outdoors even on bitter winter days； now， they have a laundry room. The heating system also spares them the daily torment of lighting coal stoves in winter months.

Two African-style oil paintings adorn the doorway of the schools main building， a gift from the government of the Republic of Congo. When construction was completed two years ago， a ceremony was held and Congolese Foreign Minister Basile Ikouébé attended. There was a drizzle that day， and the foreign minister told those assembled that rain foretells good luck in his country. The teachers and students performed a traditional Tibetan dance to greet their guests. “The Republic of Congo is thousands of miles away from China， but offered help to us in our time of need. We cherish this friendship and are grateful for their help. We will do our best in teaching and nurturing the young generation at the school， and disseminate the friendship of African people among all our students，” Gengga Jamyong said.endprint

A Bond of 50 Years

This year marks 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the Republic of Congo， which was among the first African countries to establish this bond. The friendship between the two countries has stood the test of time and grown stronger. The Republic of Congo donated US $1 million towards reconstruction work after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake， and the Chinese government has long been supportive of the Republic of Congos economic development： Chinese companies are currently involved in the construction of a 500-kilometer-long national highway in the central African country， which will connect Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire. In March 2012， there was an explosion at a factory in Brazzaville that inflicted losses of life and property. Shortly after this tragedy， China signed an agreement with the Republic Congo to help rebuild damaged neighborhoods.

“This is true friendship； we cant wait until were rich to help others，” said Daniel Owassa， Ambassador of the Republic of Congo to China. He called the two countries “friends in need，” as their partnership started at a time when both countries were less developed. Bilateral ties were based on sincerity from the very beginning， he concluded.endprint